Matt Fladeland is a NASA Ames scientist whose job it is to manage the airborne science activities done to support NASA’s satellite missions such as characterizing space-borne instruments and understanding Earth system processes.
Questions & Answers
Q: When did you first start using UAVs in your career?
A: When I came to Ames in 2002, I started working for a group that develops instruments for UAVs. The first project I was involved with was the Western States Fire Mission, where we used NASA’s predator UAV to image forest fires and produce real time data products that could be used to battle wildfires. I am more recently working with UAVs and volcano plume measurements.
Q: What were some of the limitations of the many UAVs you have worked with?
A: Most of the limitations are not with the UAVs aren’t the technologies themselves, but the policies and procedures that go with safe access to the airspace. That is being worked on by the FAA right now. We know all about the limitations of the crafts, and we modify them to meet our needs.
Q: What is your opinion of synthetic biology?
A: I think it is an interesting new area of science that will likely benefit us in many ways. I think it is critical to NASA’s mission objectives to develop new materials and tools to further our exploration.
Q: How do you feel about the idea of somebody making a UAV using synthetic biology?
A: There are likely places for that- in some places we fly UAVs and consider them to be expendable. They are very dangerous, and there is no other way to get the data, and it’s likely that the craft will not come back, but you still get your scientific measurements. Nobody likes to litter, so it would be nice if those UAVs would break down. The concern would be that we need to characterize, to a high fidelity, the strength and durability of the materials. A concern would be about the degraded capability of the materials to contribute to structural integrity.
Q: How the the scientific community counteract the stigma that surrounds UAVs?
A: One thing that we have been trying to do through our research is that there are plenty of beneficial things that UAVs do for society. You know, much like the work we do with processes that come together to create climate, and how that is changing. There are certain variables that you can only get with UASs. It’s opening up a vantage point for us that ultimately helps us understand how our planet works. There are many civilian technologies for UAVs, and the more we get the word out, the more we can assuage their fears. But there will always be people who are irrationally afraid of new technology, and that’s just how it is.
Q: How do you think that the conventional means of production of UASs and UAVs compares to the biosynthetic one?
A: I can certainly imagine there being advantages to the biosynthetic UAVs. Some may be producing them faster, or making them moldable, and cheaper.
Q: What do you think about the risks involved with using synthetic biology to make UAVs?
A: Again, I think it would just be about people’s perception out of ignorance that it would be something dangerous. When we fly a mission, there are large discussions about what material we use to build. The public doesn’t care about plastic versus metal or biomaterial. So it really just is a comprehension thing.
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